Necro Courting
by Casey 'Flame' Wolfe
Summary: Traditional Necro courting is a lengthy process, but Vaako hopes all the effort will be worth it if he can claim Riddick as a mate. Slash. Riddick/Vaako.


**A/N: Thanks to Hellsbells and Pixie ****for beta reading and bouncing ideas around. This is for the Small Fandoms Fest on LJ. **

_**Prompt: **__**Vaako has never liked all the steps involved in courting a Necromonger. It is a long held fleet-wide belief that his Dame took pity on his rather awful courting gifts and lowered herself to talk to him rather than laugh in his face. The problem Vaako faces now is that he wants Riddick, more than he ever wanted his Dame, and he would hate to be embarrassed or thought lacking because of his courting gifts to the Lord Marshal.**_

* * *

Vaako never liked the protocol involved with Necromonger courting. It was a drawn out process, for one. Why should he not just go straight to his intended and ask the question directly? It would certainly save a lot of time, and embarrassment should they decline their offer. It was the latter that was more Vaako's concern though.

It was a long held fleet-wide rumor that his Dame had taken pity on him. Rather than laughing in his face at his pathetic courting gifts, she had _lowered _herself and accepted his offer of bonding. Now, however, with his Dame long gone- conveniently ripped apart by one of Riddick's hellhounds when she made a wrong move-his eyes wandered to his chosen more and more.

It didn't seem to matter how often he berated himself. There was no possible way that Riddick, the _Lord Marshal_, would take him as a partner. Though, perhaps if he courted the Furyan right... Vaako shook the thoughts from his head. He would only be called out in front of the whole fleet for the pathetic attempt he was sure to make.

It didn't stop his hoping though, and so he ended up trying anyway.

Somehow finding the courage, Vaako left his first gift in a silk pouch at the Lord Marshal's door. It was lucky that Riddick had ordered no guards were to be placed outside his chambers or in the hall, so none of his men would be privy to seeing just _who _was leaving said gift. Not as though it were much.

He frowned when he left, already feeling the heat of embarrassment at such a pathetic gift. It was nothing more than a trinket- a simple charm he had picked up during an invasion on a whim- a silver image of a mythological creature of old, a dragon, holding onto a polished blue stone. Vaako knew that there was supposed to be a build in the significance, but still.

He put it out of his mind, so he wouldn't dwell on it and have it affect his work. That was the last thing he needed. His Lord would not be pleased if his duties to the fleet suffered for any reason, and it would be awful to be called out should that occur, knowing he would be forced to admit the reason. The potential shame was enough to distract himself.

Almost a week went by when he chanced to leave another gift. That time he left a chain, black tungsten with a nice weight to it. Yet another thing he had picked up during an invasion. Why he had started to take odd little trophies, he wasn't sure- as a Necromonger he should have felt no desire for such a thing. It didn't matter though, as it now served a new purpose.

A couple days had gone by, and it was during a meeting with Riddick and the other Commanders that Vaako noticed his Lord playing with something. In his hand, he was fingering the trinket thoughtfully. His heart skipped a beat, seeing how Riddick looked at it, contemplating.

Silver eyes flickered up to him then, catching Vaako looking. Trying to cover, the Necro inquired innocently, "Something special my Lord?" He was never so thankful for his famous cool.

Riddick smirked, looking back at it. "Not sure," he admitted. "Just showed up at my door."

Scales, who was seated at Riddick's left made a noise in the back of his throat. "Hmm, sounds to be a courting gift." When the Lord Marshal raised a brow, kicking his feet onto the conference table, Scales inquired, "Has anyone told you our courting traditions, my Lord?"

He smirked. "Yeah, Breezy's been rather forthcoming with information," he spoke of the Elemental whom he had allowed to remain on board the Basilica. "So's Vaako."

The First nodded his head in thanks for the acknowledgment. It warmed him to know Riddick saw the effort he put forth. "My job is to serve, Lord Marshal," he spoke.

In truth, he had expected for the Furyan to be a much more infuriating student. However, he surprised Vaako by being extremely sharp and genuinely curious about various subjects involving their way of life and especially their military forces. It was one of the qualities that had ended up attracting the Commander's attention.

Of course, Vaako hadn't talked to the man about courting, marriage bonds, or anything of the like. Clearly, Aereon had broached the subject for one reason or another. Although, perhaps Riddick had actually made an inquiry. That thought alone was enough to make Vaako's pulse rate pick up, just slightly, but enough.

"It's probably someone of low status," Toal put in, seated next to Scales. Vaako had to hold back the glare he wanted to send the man. His gift was not _that _bad.

"Oh?" Riddick asked with some amusement, a brow cocked. "Why's that?"

"It's so simple," Toal answered, as though obvious. "Someone of rank or within the Elite wouldn't stoop to such a modest trinket. Even if it were simply the start of their courting."

Riddick hummed thoughtfully, holding it up to look at it from a different angle. "I like it," he finally said, and Vaako did his best not to react.

"It falls to only his Lordship what is considered a worthy gift," Scalp Taker mentioned, seated next to Vaako.

Clearly the conversation was gaining some attention- attention Vaako _didn't _want. He cleared his throat, returning the gathered Commanders' attention back to the meeting at hand. As the discussion steered back on topic, Vaako swore he saw Riddick spare him a glance.

* * *

He was curious about the gifts that had shown up. Riddick recognized courting when he saw it- he didn't need Breezy or the Commanders to tell him. He couldn't be sure they were from the same person and they were given rather sporadically. Still, they were all small trinkets- at least to start with.

The evening he returned to his chambers to find a small sack at the door, he approached it cautiously. He'd ordered guards to stay out of the isolated hall, and all security cams to be shut off- he hated not having privacy. Although with this whole courting thing going on, he had half a mind to rescind those orders, if only to catch who was behind it.

Peeking into the bag, he found it was filled with various items. Intrigued, he brought them inside and placed the sack on a chair. He pulled things out one by one, placing them on the table. _Artifacts_. _Curious. But __from what? _There was everything from slates with artwork and strange writing on them, to jewelry and clothing, as well as a broken dagger with its twin still intact.

As he was going through the objects there was a hurried knock on his door. Opening it, he found a soldier there who immediately snapped to attention. "Lord Marshal, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we've had an incident. Someone has broken into the Archives and stolen some items from the vault."

Riddick raised a brow, peeking over his shoulder towards the table. When he looked back he asked, "What was taken?"

"Furyan artifacts, my Lord. All of them."

"Huh." Riddick nodded slowly. "Pass the investigation on to Vaako."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier assured, before walking off.

Riddick smirked as he walked back to the table. _Well, well, well, _he thought, _things just became more interesting. _Whoever his little secret admirer was they had some balls, that was for sure. It most likely meant that Toal was wrong in his assessment- a theft of such a secure area meant clearance of some level, which meant _some _status. Status, but also _skill. _It would be interesting to see what Vaako came up with.

* * *

Vaako had been encouraged by the fact Riddick had accepted his courting gifts. He'd noticed the simple chain wrapped up around his wrist a couple times, and he'd been called to his chambers and shown the bag of artifacts that had turned up at his door. When Vaako offered- in his capacity as First- to return them personally to the vaults, Riddick had declined, stating he wanted to keep them.

He'd hidden his surprise well, he thought at least, when the Lord Marshal showed up to a meeting one day wearing the ancient blades in his arm sheaths- the one having been repaired. None of the other Commanders had probably ever seen the blades in the Archives, so they had no idea of their significance. Vaako, on the other hand, smiled softly as he complimented Riddick on how good they looked, and he didn't miss the corners of the man's mouth turning up in response.

Riddick's two hellhounds had come with him- the large male never straying from his side. The female though sidled up beside Vaako, looking at him with big glowing eyes. Not even thinking about it, he put his hand down, settling it on her head and scratching. Pressing in against him, she started to purr, encouraging him to rub behind her ears.

He didn't miss the way Riddick watched them through the meeting. The female hound sat at Vaako's feet, head in his lap. She would nose him occasionally when he stopped petting her, and Vaako would just smile softly and continue giving her the attention she apparently craved.

When the others filed out, Vaako stood to follow, but the female pawed at his leg. Looking down, she had her ears back, whining softly. His attention was drawn to Riddick as he chuckled. "Fury likes you," he stated, nodding towards the hound.

"Really?" He looked at the hound again. They had been on the Basilica for nearly a month, and most of that time they had been confined to the Lord Marshal's chambers after they were found to have a propensity to _eat people_ who had no idea how to behave around them. Vaako wasn't any more knowledgeable than the others, so he just allowed instincts to lead his interactions with them. "A good name."

"This one's Fade," Riddick offered, motioning the large male to go to the Commander. Vaako offered his hand, letting the hound snuffle into it as he got his scent. It was then he realized the Lord Marshal had never told anyone their names. For him to be someone who knew, it made him feel slightly special and drew a smile to his face. Fade gave him a lick in approval before returning to the Furyan.

"You know," the Lord Marshal mentioned, patting the male's side roughly, "you're the only one who has been in my quarters that they haven't tried to maul."

Vaako raised a brow at that, unconsciously given Fury another scratch behind the ears. "Curious. I wonder why."

"They have good senses," Riddick answered. "They trust you." He shrugged casually, calling the hounds and turning to head out. "So do I," he added over his shoulder, the hint of a smile on his lips.

Feeling motivated, Vaako knew he had to up his game for the last few presents. He wanted to impress Riddick- show him that there were many sides to him. He was not just a Necromonger warrior. He had knowledge in much more than simply battle, something the previous Lord Marshal regularly overlooked, as did his fellow Commanders.

With a plan in mind, he set to work. He would need to involve a couple more people in his endeavors. The first stop was Aereon.

* * *

It was about four days before another gift showed itself at Riddick's door. It was a datapad, and he looked through the menu contents as he kicked the door shut behind him. It was filled with data about Furyans and Furya.

According to Vaako and Aereon, there wasn't much data available in the Necropolis Archives. This seemed to speak otherwise. Unless the person had gone to outside sources- or even internal ones that few people knew about. _Clever._

The person had knowledge. A scholar? It would explain the way things were organized so concisely. At the same time it was practical, and highlighted topics he was most likely to find interesting.

Someone familiar with tech, probably enough to hack systems if some of the entries were any indication. It appeared to contain encrypted information from Lord Marshals Kryll and Zylaw's personal records. So, a tech? It would explain how they got passed the security measures in the vault too.

His little secret admirer was becoming more and more interesting.

* * *

It took longer than he would have wished to collect all the information for the gifted datapad. It wasn't as though he weren't skilled enough to make it just right, or to find the information where others could not have. It was simply hard to sneak around when he had other duties to attend to.

Vaako didn't like the way Aereon gave him that sly, knowing smile when he asked her to data stream him everything in her own people's libraries that they knew of the Furyans. He'd promised to snag her a bottle of the wine she enjoyed from the special stock they had locked away in return. Truly it was all fairly easy, given the way he and the Elemental had somewhat bonded over history and philosophy.

Then there was the matter of breaking into the encryptions of the previous Lords' personal data stores. He knew of perhaps a handful of techs who would be able to break through the layers of protocols and firewalls, but thankfully he was one such person. Perhaps he would have to share the entire data packets with Riddick at some point.

He saw no sign that the Lord Marshal had liked his gift as he'd shown before, but that didn't deter his plans. Vaako was no longer embarrassed by his actions, and was more determined to see things through. Still, there was a voice in the back of his mind that wondered just how the Lord Marshal would feel to learn it was _he _who had been leaving the presents at his door.

Shaking those thoughts away, Vaako called up the trusted tech he'd enlisted to help with another gift- as it would certainly require more than just one mind to work on such a large project. It would take a while to get done. In the meantime though, he had the perfect gift in mind to keep the Lord Marshal busy until then.

* * *

A gun and a blade. Now there was something Riddick had not expected at his door. He glanced around, but didn't sense or smell anyone in the immediate area. There was a lingering aroma in the air though. His mysterious courter must have dropped them off very recently.

He took a deeper inhale, trying to get a better read on the scent. Clean, metal, musky... most certainly male. Not that that bothered Riddick in the slightest. Over the years he'd had both men and women share his bed. If anything, the men were more fun- they could take more punishment, and dish it out just as well. It touched that feral part of him, what he now supposed was his Furyan side.

Riddick picked up the weapons, taking them into his chambers for a better look. Once again, this person was showing their- _his_- knowledge. It almost made him wonder if it were more than one person vying for his attention. Certainly one man couldn't know so much about navigating an archive, as well as being a skilled tech, and now- clearly- a warrior.

The blade was Damascus steel, perfectly balanced, and fit in his hand as though made just for him. Likewise, the gun was impressive. Usually not his thing, the small handgun was an energy beam weapon- more concentrated and accurate than the standard pulse variety. There was even a matching black leather sheath and holster for them. Hand tooled in fact.

He sniffed at the leather, seeing if he could pick up more traces of his mystery man. _Hmm, interesting. _Just underneath the scent of leather was something almost sweet. To Riddick, it almost smelled familiar.

* * *

Vaako had to suppress a grin when he saw his Lord Marshal the following day. On his right thigh was the holstered pistol, and his left the blade. Both being proudly displayed- both having been taken as trophies on the battlefield by Vaako. He really wanted to ask about them, try to find out how he liked them, but it would be far too obvious.

The hounds were with him again, and when Fury saw Vaako she trotted over. Her greeting was bumping her head into his thigh, demanding his full attention. The Commander smirked, hand falling to her head. "Good girl," he murmured, scratching behind her ear until she leaned into him, purring.

"Good day, my Lord," Scales greeted as Riddick made his way over to them, a smirk thrown in Vaako's direction. They had been discussing battle plans for the next invasion, but with the Lord Marshal so close, Vaako didn't think he could fully concentrate on them. Thankfully, Scales voiced aloud the question he had. "You have new weapons?"

Riddick nodded. "Showed up at the door," he replied. He pulled the knife, spinning it on his flattened palm as he had on Helion the day Vaako met him. The thought made the Necro quirk his lips. "Perfectly balanced," Riddick practically purred as he stopped it.

He ran a few fingers along the butt of the pistol adding, "Not usually my thing, but a very nice choice. Never hurts to have something other than a blade."

Both Commanders nodded in agreement. "A wise decision Lord Marshal," Vaako offered. As Riddick's eyes flickered to him, he had to fight the urge to look away.

After a moment, the corner of Riddick's mouth turned up in the ghost of a smile. He started to walk past them, but stopped when he was hovering just inside Vaako's personal space. "Oh, Vaako," he spoke, his deep voice vibrating through the Necro's spine. "Wanna join me for a spar later?"

"I would be honored, my Lord," he answered, thankful his voice came out steady. Instead of walking away though, Riddick leaned in a bit, sniffing the air around Vaako. The Necro swore he heard a deep, throaty sound come from him. "My Lord?"

Riddick pulled away, making a humming noise. "Later, Vaako," he said casually, a smile playing on his lips as he walked away, hounds at his heels.

"What in the world was that about?" Scales wondered aloud.

Vaako's brows furrowed, shaking his head. "I'm unsure. Perhaps it's a Furyan thing." It was as good an explanation as any, and it seemed to satisfy his fellow Commander. Vaako, on the other hand, was still trying to make his pulse slow back down. Something about that sound Riddick made had wound him up in all the right ways.

Sparing with Riddick later was going to be a challenge to his will.

* * *

The next gift was a doozy- a pair of glasses that would protect his light-sensitive eyes. It had come with a datapad, detailing the way they worked and how to use them, and even a personal note. It took a lot to impress Riddick, but these, these did the trick.

"_I understand that aboard the Basilica, the lighting is such that your eyes are not bothered. However, tactically speaking, to go around without protection is inviting trouble. Should an assassin decide to use a flash grenade, or simply a hand light, you may be left vulnerable to attack. Likewise, during conquests, having access to your uncanny sight would be invaluable._

"_Within these frames is a specialized, light-sensitive material. They will automatically detect light levels and adjust for optimum performance. Any light- natural or artificial- above a certain lux reading will be completely blocked._

"_May they serve you well, my Lord Marshal."_

Precise and to the point. No flowery words and admittance of love or even admirance- outside complimenting his shined eyes in a roundabout way.

Once again, the man's skills were on display, and it was made clear that the gifts he'd been receiving were indeed all from the same person. These glasses required someone knowledgeable with tech, but also a warrior's sense of tactics and battle awareness. Likewise, the speech pattern was certainly someone of high intelligence- and most likely decently high in the social pecking order, not that that mattered to Riddick.

Smiling as he slipped them on, Riddick decided he couldn't wait for his courter to finally show himself. If Breezy was right, he wouldn't have to wait long for the last gift.

* * *

Vaako was outside the Lord Marshal's chambers, final courting gift in hand. He was reaching out to place it on the doorknob when a deep, graveled voice from behind startled him. He jumped a little, dropping the object in the process. He was frozen to the spot as he watched his Lord bending over to pick it up.

Riddick observed the gift in his hand- a twisting silver bangle. The ends didn't touch, and on them was a Necromonger personal symbol- _Vaako's _symbol. It was the final gift that one would give their intended, which would be their opportunity to either accept or deny them. Vaako swallowed hard.

"Vaako," the Lord Marshal spoke. "What's this?" By the look in his silver eyes though, Vaako knew he was well aware of what it was by then.

The Commander averted his gaze to the floor. "It's a gift, my Lord," he admitted.

"That so?" He turned the metal choker over in his hand. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a torc?" Vaako nodded. "Yours if I'm not mistaken." Vaako nodded again. "Mind elaboratin' more there Vaako?"

The Necro bit his lip, but knew he wasn't getting out of this one. He had no choice but to own up to his actions. "My apologies if I've offended you my Lord. It is a... a courting gift." Before Riddick was able to reply, Vaako held out his hand. "I understand if the Lord Marshal doesn't accept. By our laws, you need only return it and I shall not bother you again."

Vaako found his eyes closing as he hung his head, unable to look at the other man. When he felt the cool metal pressed against his hand, his shoulders sagged in defeat. His offer had been declined. He should have known that would be the case, should not have allowed himself to hope.

He closed his hand around the torc, giving a short nod before walking away. "Vaako," Riddick called after him. The Commander stopped, somehow managing to look over his shoulder at the Lord Marshal. "You should look in your hand." Vaako's brows furrowed in confusion, and his eyes caught the glint of metal in Riddick's hand, where he still held the torc.

Curious, he looked down to his own hand, opening it slowly. Inside was a twisting band made of black tungsten. The symbols on the ends, he recognized it. It had been in the dossiers he'd gifted to Riddick. It was the Furyan symbol for "Alpha." This was...

"Had it made after you gave me those datapads," Riddick spoke, drawing Vaako's gaze. The Lord Marshal chuckled at his look of surprise. "I figured out it was you, Vaako. Just been waitin' for this." He dangled Vaako's torc so it sparkled in the dim light, the corner of his lips pulled into a smirk. In a fluid movement, he slipped it around his neck, the ends nestling against his collar bone.

Vaako hadn't realized his jaw was hanging slack until then, and promptly snapped it shut. He wanted to speak, but he had no idea what to say. It seemed Riddick knew though, closing the distance between them. The Necro had been clutching a hold of the torc in his hand, and now the Lord Marshal was gently prying it open again.

"You gonna stay with me, Vaako?" he questioned.

There was no hesitation when he nodded. "Until Underverse come, my Lord."

Riddick grinned at that, taking his own personal torc and fastening it around Vaako's neck to seal their bond. "It's just Riddick to you... my mate."

Vaako could feel his cheeks heating up, and Riddick chuckled softly. "Riddick," the Necro agreed, testing how the name felt on his tongue.

The Furyan grinned at him- not the usual feral way he did at others. While there was still an animal quality to it, it was warm. Likewise, his eyes danced behind the special eyewear Vaako had designed, looking him over from head to toe. "Come on, Vaako," he murmured, voice dropping even lower than usual. "Bed's gettin' cold."

Vaako blushed at that, causing Riddick to chuckle again. He moved in, lips next to the Necro's ear. "I like it when you blush, beautiful." His face really heated up then, coloring all the way up to the tips of his ears.

In the next instant he felt warm lips on his, and it took his brain a moment to catch up. Then he found himself kissing back, giving just as well as he got. There was a hunger there, and as Riddick pressed him into the wall, Vaako groaned into his mouth. It allowed Riddick's tongue inside, muffling the sound.

The Furyan loved the noises coming from his new mate. There was a voice in the back of his head screaming "_Mine!_" urging him to bite, to mark, to _claim. _Pressing into Vaako further, he barely controlled the instincts he had, managing to stop the kiss and dragging the Commander behind him.

One moment to the next, Vaako was swept along behind the Furyan, through the more public area of his quarters into the inner chamber. The bedroom was everything Vaako had come to expect of the man he'd just agreed to stand beside until death claimed him in due time- utilitarian and simple. Though the bed was luxurious, and that thought made the heat pooling in his gut grow.

Both hellhounds had been curled on the bed, looking up when they walked in. Fury purred towards Vaako, scenting the air. She and Fade both clearly picked up the arousal on the pair, making throaty sounds. Riddick snapped his fingers, motioning for them to get moving. They leapt off easily, relocating to a corner of the bedroom.

There was no complaint from Vaako as his new mate tossed him onto the bed, prowling over top of him. As he hovered, gazing at him so intently, the Necro was glad to not be in his armor. It would only get in the way of whatever activities Riddick had going through his head. Vaako certainly knew what _he _wanted to be doing, and his hips moved up of their own volition.

Riddick purred at the contact, eyes fluttering closed. He dipped his head, running his nose along Vaako's neck and inhaled deeply. The scent of his mate- a clean scent of metal with an overall male musk, and sweet flowers in his hair- set his animal side at ease. It caused a low rumble of approval, and he nuzzled into him lovingly.

"Riddick," he breathed, eyes becoming lidded with how good it felt. The Furyan was practically lying on top of him now, rubbing against him, mixing his own scent with Vaako's. The Necro knew exactly what he was doing- had read the data regarding Furyan mating.

Now, he tilted his head, offering more of his neck to Riddick. It was also an invitation.

Riddick paused, looking at the man laid out beneath him carefully. "You know what yer doin'?"

Vaako nodded, his lips quirking a bit. "I already agreed to be your mate, Riddick." He reached up, fingers traveling over the torc at the Furyan's neck pointedly. "Want you to put your mark on me, claim me."

The sound that came out of Riddick's mouth was a cross between a groan and a growl. His teeth latched onto the expanse of pale skin at the side of Vaako's neck, right below the jaw bone. As Riddick's jaw worked, clamping down, he heard Vaako's surprised gasp change into a throaty moan. He pressed into Riddick's teeth, hands latching onto his shoulders, and blunt nails digging into skin.

When he broke skin, the taste of blood swept over his tongue and he growled in approval. The tang of it had a hint of sweetness, and he lapped at the wound until the bleeding slowed. When he pulled back to meet hazel eyes, he found they were blown out in desire, and the Necro was taking deep breaths.

Vaako shivered when their gazes met, but he felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a soft smile. He started to rub Riddick's neck with the back of his knuckles, unconsciously. Riddick turned his head, nuzzling into Vaako's wrist before taking his hand. They looked at each other a moment before Riddick flashed his own neck.

Something feral in Vaako's own mind had him licking his lips. Riddick smirked at the reaction, flipping their positions on the large bed. Vaako was straddling the Furyan's hips, a hand slipping under his tank top and feeling the expanse of muscles under his fingertips. "Soon, mate," Riddick's rumbling voice came, drawing back the Necro's attention.

When Riddick offered his neck again, Vaako moved down to latch onto the same spot he had been marked. There was a low growl in response, and the tighter he bit, the more Riddick's back arched to meet him. Blood splashed into his mouth and he groaned. There was a responding purr from Riddick as Vaako swiped his tongue over the mark.

Wrapping arms around him, Riddick rolled them both to their sides. The pair nuzzled and rubbed against each other, lips and tongues discovering exposed flesh, hands exploring new territory. When Riddick rolled his hips, Vaako whined at the friction, and the Furyan grinned into his throat.

"Don't worry, Vaako," he assured. "I'll take care of you." He nosed at the bite on the Necro's neck as proof. "Till Underverse Come."

Vaako smiled into the warm kiss placed on his lips.


End file.
